Glossary of mushrooms

This a list of terms used in mushrooms.

Picked mushrooms

• -oecious – suffix meaning house
• -physis – suffix meaning growth
• -podium – suffix meaning foot
• -thecium – suffix meaning case
• Adnate – gills on a mushroom attached broadly/squarely to the stem
• Adnexed – only a small part of the gills on a mushroom attached to the stem
• Aecio- -- prefix meaning cup
• Agaric – the word often used synonymously with ‘mushroom’ – a fungus that produces spores on gills.
• Alveolate – like a honeycomb
• Amyloid – turning blue-black to dark violet upon exposure to iodine stain or Melzer's reagent (see also dextrinoid)
• Angiocarpous – describing a sporocarp that is closed at least until the spores are mature
• Annulus – the "ring"; a band of tissue encircling the stem of a mushroom (e. g. commercial button mushrooms), sometimes movable
• Apex – Apical, at the tip (opposite of basal – at the base)
• Apo- – prefix meaning open, e. g. apothecium – open disk-like ascoma
• Appendiculate – with fragments of the veil of a mushroom hanging to the cap edge
• Arthropods – animals with exoskeletons, such as insects and spiders and crabs
• Asco-– prefix meaning sack
• Ascocarp – ascus bearing structure of an ascomycete
• Ascoma (-ta) – ascus bearing structure of an ascomycete
• Ascomycota– fungi with sexual spores borne in a flask-shaped structure called an ascus
• Ascus – sack-like structure containing the sexual spores of ascomycetes
• Attached – gills fastened to the stem of a mushroom (see gill attachment)
• Auto- – prefix meaning self
• Basal – at the base (opposite of apical)
• Basidio- – prefix meaning small pedestal
• Basidiomycota– fungi with sexual spores borne on the outside of a special club-shaped structure called a basidium
• Basidium – structure producing the sexual spores of basidiomycetes. Two major kinds, distinguished by lacking (holobasidia) or having (heterobasidia) septa.
• Binding hyphae(in basidiomata) – thick walled, highly branched, aseptate, interwoven, narrow, binding generative and skeletal hyphae together.
• Bolete – soft textured fungi which generally have pores instead of gills
• Boletoid – shape of a bolete spore, here, Boletus russellii
• Campanulate – bell shaped, typically describing mushroom caps
• Cap – the expanded, upper part of the mushroom; whose surface is the pileus
• Cartilaginous – tough-brittle, making a noise when broken
• Central – describing mushroooms – with stem attached at the centre of the cap
• Circinate – twisted round, coiled
• Clavate – club shaped, widest at the tip
• Cleisto- – prefix meaning closed
• Confluent – for mushrooms – tissues of cap and stem alike and continuous so that cap and stem are not easily separated. Typical of Cantharellus (chantarelles)
• Conic – roughly cone-shaped, generally for mushroom caps
• Context (in basidiomata) – tissue type in hymenomycetes (Holobasidiomycetes). The hyphal mass between the upper surface of the basidiocarp and the fertile layer of cells (gills, pores, teeth). The "meat" of the cap of a mushroom, or the middle of a bracket
• Convex – somewhat the shape of a half-circle, regularly rounded on top (as in the diagram above)
• Coprophilous – living on dung (syn. fimicolous)
• Corti- – prefix meaning bark
• Cortina – a cobwebby, veil-like structure extending from cap margin to stem but soon disappearing
• Cuticle – skin of a mushroom cap or stem
• Cylindrical – having the shape of a cylinder
• Decurrent – describing mushroom gills as running down the stem
• Deliquescing – dissolving and falling to the ground as drops of liquid, e. g. Coprinus caps
• Dendroid – treelike in form
• Dentate – toothed
• Denticle– short toothlike projection
• Depressed – with the central part sunken below the level of the margin
• Dextrinoid – turning red-purple upon exposure to iodine or Melzer's reagent (see also amyloid)
• Dichotomous – divided into two
• Didymospore – a two-celled spore
• Dimidiate – semi-circular in outline
• Dimitic (in basidiomata) – sporocarps with two kinds of hyphae, generative and skeletal
• Dung – manure
• Eccentric – not attached in the center
• Ellipsoid – elliptical, with both ends similar (see ovoid)
• Elongate – not globose, but this term does not specify a particular shape
• Emarginate – notched next to the stem, typically describing mushroom gills
• Eu- – prefix meaning true
• Evanescent – soon disappearing
• Falcate – curved like a sickle or new moon
• Fertile – able to produce spores
• Fibrillose – covered with or containing fibrils
• Fibrils – small flecks or strands of fibrous material
• Fibrous – tough, stringy, not breaking straight across
• Filiform – threadlike
• Fimbriate – with hairs
• Fimicolous – living on dung (syn. coprophilous)
• Fleshy – rather soft, putrescent, spongy; often describing mushroom caps
• Floccose –with cottony material on the surface
• Fragile – easily broken
• Furcate – forked
• Fusiform – spindle shaped, narrowing at each end
• Fusoid -– somewhat fusiform
• Gelatinous – the consistence of jelly. Subgelatinous is firm jelly.
• Generative hyphae (in basidiomata) – thin walled, branched, usually septate but with or without clamp connections, giving rise to other kinds of hyphae in the basidiocarp, as well as to the hymenium
• Germ pore– special region of the spore from which germination occurs, often appearing a s a circle on the spore wall
• Gill attachment
• Gill spacing(see picture glossary)
• Gills – blade-like structures on the underside of mushroom caps in agarics
• Globose – spherical or nearly so
• Gymnocarpus -– having the primordium and mature sporocarp with an exposed hymenium
• Helicospore – cylindrical spiral spore, one or more cells
• Hemiangiocarpous – sporocarp opening before spores are quite mature
• Hetero- – prefix meaning other
• Heteromerous – containing cells with distinctive textures (e. g. in Russula, spherical cells and hyphae intermixed; in Lactarius, +/– latex bearing hyphae)
• Holomorph –all forms produced by a species during its life cycle = anamorph + teleomorph
• Homo- – prefix meaning same
• Homoiomerous – of a lichen thallus, having the fungal and algal components intermixed throughout
• Homomerous/homiomerous – composed of one type of cell
• Homothallism – self-fertility
• Hyaline – devoid of colour
• Hyalo- – prefix meaning colourless. Note – spores are considered to be pigmented if the walls appear dark either individually or within a mass.
• Hyalospore – one-celled conidium devoid of colour (if coloured, a phaeospore)
• Hygrophanous – appearing water-soaked, especially of mushroom caps
• Hymenium – fertile layer of a sporocarp, for example on ascomata and basidiomata
• Hyphal analysis –(in basidiomata) descriptions of the development and structure of the sporocarps of higher fungi based on a paper by Corner, 1932, Transactions of the British Mycological Society 17:51 (TBMS, now Mycological Research) Basidiocarps are defined by the number of types of hyphae they contain: monomitic, dimitic trimitic see individual entries for definitions)
• Incurved – with the margin (usually of a mushroom cap) turning inward toward the stem
• Indusium – the skirt under the head of certain stinkhorns
• Inrolled – with the edge (usually of a mushroom cap) rolling up on the side next to the stem
• Intercalary – between base and apex
• Lamella (-ae) – a single leaf (or leaves) of a gill
• Lateral – a mushroom stipe attached to one side of the cap, e. g. Pleurotus
• Lenticular – lens shaped
• Lignicolous – growing on wood
• Membranous – like a membrane; thin and flexible, or pliant
• Meristem arthrospore – one of a chain of conidia maturing in basipetal succession, and originating by meristematic growth of the apical region of the conidiophore, but not from a phialide, e. g. Oidium
• Meristem – actively dividing cells
• Monomitic: (in basidiomata) sporocarp with one kind of hypha – generative
• Mushroom – the reproductive body of certain basidiomycetes; typically consists of cap, stem and gills
• Mutualism – "living together" of unlike species to their mutual benefit, e. g. mycorrhizae, lichens.
• Mycelium (-ia) – a mass of hyphae, with or without septa
• Non-amyloid– not changing colour in response to iodine (Melzer's reagent) but staying yellow-brown to brown
• Obclavate – club shaped, but widest at the base (see clavate)
• Obconic -– not quite conical
• Obovoid – like ovoid (hen’s egg shape) but narrow end at the base
• Obtuse – rounded or blunt
• Ochre – dingy-yellowish
• Ontogeny – development
• Operculum – a round apical lid, on an ascus tip of certain species
• Ovoid – like a hen’s egg, with one end narrower than the other, wide end at the base (see obovoid and ellipsoid, and picture glossary)
• Para- – prefix meaning beside
• Paraphyses – sterile determinate hyphae that separate asci in some ascomata
• Parasitic – living on or within another organism and obtaining nutrients at the expense of that organism (see mutualistic and symbiotic)
• Per- – prefix meaning 'more than'
• Peri- – prefix meaning around
• Persistent – remaining for a long time
• Phaeo- – prefix meaning coloured. Note – spores are considered to be pigmented if the walls appear dark either separate or within a mass.
• Phaeospore – coloured one-celled spore
• Phago-prefix meaning to eat
• Pileus – surface covering of a mushroom cap
• Pip-shaped – like an apple seed
• Polypores  common name of tough-textured fungi with pores
• Pore – structure in the tips of some asci, often containing starch
• Pro- – prefix meaning before
• Pseudo- – prefix meaning false
• Pseudo – prefix meaning false
• Pyriform – pear-shaped
• Recurved – curved with the outside of the curve expanded (like a sickle, or a new moon)
• Resupinate – upside down; the gills face outward, and the "upper surface" rests on the substrate; e.g. the gills of Schizophyllum
• Reviving – having the property of expanding to normal shape and size when moistened
• Rhizoid – a root-like structure, a filamentous branchike extension for feeding rather than reproduction
• Ring – annulus
• Sapro- – prefix meaning rotten
• Saprobic / saprophytic gaining nutrients from dead material
• Saxi- – prefix meaning rock
• Scolecospores – filiform (threadlike) spores
• Seceding – at first attached to the stem but later separating from it
• Secession – release, breaking off, separating of spores from sporogenous cells
• Separable – easily separated or dis-joined
• Serrate – with the edge broken or notched so as to resemble the toothed edge of a saw
• Sessile – without a stem; attached directly to the substrate
• Setae – bristles
• Shelving – attached to an object by the side of the cap and forming a shelf, like a bracket
• Silky – covered with shiny, close-set fibrils
• Simple – opposite of branched
• Sinuate – with a U-shaped indentation next to the stem
• Skeletal hyphae (in basidiomata) – thick walled, branched or unbranched, aseptate, straight or slightly flexuous, with thin-walled apices
• Sp(p) – abbreviation for species, singular and plural
• Spore colour– In mushrooms, spore colour is diagnostic, and can be determined by placing a severed cap right-side up on a white or black paper and covering with a tumbler; usually after a few hours many spores will have fallen
• Spore – general term for a reproductive structure of fungi, that does not contain an embryo. In fungi, spores may be single or multicelled.
• Stalked – with a stem
• Stellate – star-shaped
• Stipe – stalk of a mushroom
• Stroma – fused mass of hyphae appearing as a tissue
• Stuffed – filled with a soft, rather cottony center that usually disappears in mature specimens, typical of the stems of certain mushroom species
• Sub-– a prefix meaning "somewhat"
• Subglobose – nearly but not completely spherical
• Subhyaline – not quite colourless, but not strongly pigmented, e.g., conidia/conidiophores of Aspergillus nidulans
• Subtending – extending from underneath
• Symbiosis – "living together" of unlike species to their mutual benefit, e. g. mycorrhizae, lichens
• Teleomorph – sexual stage in a fungal life cycle (nonsexual stage is the anamorph)
• Terrestrial – on the ground
• Terri- – prefix meaning earth
• Thallus – vegetative body, typically a mycelial, and typically non-motile
• Throughout – in all parts of the structure
• Trama – the inner tissue of the cap or gill
• Trichodermium – describing the caps of boletes, where hairs project from the surface, giving a velvety appearance if dry
• Trimitic (in basidiomata) – Sporocarp with three kinds of hyphae: generative, skeletal, and binding
• Unitunicate – asci with a single membrane layer, sometimes with a pore structure or operculum (lid)
• Verticilliate – having parts in rings or whorls
• Vesiculose – with a delicate, bubbly or foamy texture
• Viscid – slimy
• Whorl – a ring, one turn of a spiral
• Zygo- – prefix meaning yoke; a paired structure
• adnate –refers to fills/pores/wrinkles/teeth, broadly attached to top of stem
• adnexed – refers to gills/pores/wrinkles/teeth, partially attached to top of stem
• anastomosing – cross connections between gills
• annulus- a remnant of the partial veil left as the mushroom matures. It often leaves a ring of membranous tissue around the stem (stipe)
• ascus – microscopic flask-like structure containing sexual spores of Ascomycota
• basal disc – disc-like structure at the base of the stem, as in Pixie’s Parasol
• basidium–microscopic club-like structure with prongs on which are sexual spores.
• bifid – divided into two
• bracket – pored fungus with a bracket-shaped fruit-body on trees or dead wood. A similar shaped fruit-body without pores is referred to as either a shelf or a fan
• bryophyte – a collective name for mosses, liverworts and hornworts
• bulbous – a bulb-like swelling at the base of the stem (stipe), often underground
• button – immature specimen
• caespitose – with fruit-bodies growing in a dense clump
• cap – pileus which is the umbrella or bell-like ‘hat’ of the mushroom. The pileus holds the spores in either gills or pores, wrinkles or teeth
• carpophore – complete fruit body of the fungus (ie. cap, stem, gills, etc). Sporophore and sporocarp are other names also used
• clavate – club-shaped
• close – refers to gill spacing; neither crowded nor distant
• cluster cup – cylindrical fruit-body of one of the stages in the live cycle of rusts
• concentric – with circular or arc-like zones or bands having a common centre
• convex – of caps, rounded or domed
• convoluted – wrinkled, brain-like, intricately folded
• coprophilous – growing on dung
• cortina – cobweb-like partial veil
• crowded – refers to gill spacing, very close together
• cup –description given to the saucer shape of the Ascomycetes group
• decurrent – refers to gills/pores/wrinkles/teeth whose attachment to the stem extends down for some distance
• deliquescent – liquefying at maturity, common among Ink-caps
• depressed – of caps, sunk in the centre like a saucer
• distant – refers to gills, widely spaced
• downy – with soft, fluffy hairs
• egg – initial egg-shaped stage of some fungi which have a universal veil covering the developing cap and stem (stinkhorns, amanitas, puffballs)
• endoperidium – inner layer of a multilayered perineum, covering the spore mass
• exoperidium – typically of earthstars and stalked puffballs, outer layer of a multilayered peridium
• face –side of a gill
• family – a group of closely related genera, the name ending in -aceae
• fan – a bracket-shaped fruit-body with gills on the underside of the cap
• fertile surface – surface bearing spores such as the surface covering gills or spines
• fetid – foul-smelling
• fibrillose – covered with fine, silky fibres which are usually appressed, i.e. pressed flat to the surface
• forked – usually refers to gills, divided or pronged like a fork
• free – refers to gills/pores/wrinkles/teeth, not attached to stem
• fruit-body – the visible, reproductive structure of any fungus
• fungus (pl. fungi) – a member of the Kingdom Fungi; organisms which typically are composed of hyphae, reproduce by spores and possess nuclei, and which lack roots, leaves and chlorophyll (to carry out photosynthesis)
• gelatinous – jelly-like
• genus – taxonomic term meaning a group of similar species. Genera that are closely related are placed into families
• genus(pl.genera) – a group of closely related species
• gill – spore-bearing structure of mushrooms
• gill( lamina) – blade-like or leaf-like plate on which spores are produced, beneath the cap of an
• gleba – see spore mass
• globe –the spore mass inside a puffball
• gluten – clear, jelly-like, sticky liquid exuded by some fungi
• gregarious – with many fruit-bodies growing close to one another
• habit – manner of growth of fruit-body, whether single, gregarious or clustered (caespitose)
• habitat – the vegetation, soil and any other distinctive components of the place where the fungus naturally occurs
• head – refers to fungi without caps, the part of the fruit-body supported on a stem
• hygrophanous – changing colour upon drying
• hygroscopic – sensitive to moisture
• hypha –a microscopic fibre making up the fungal body.
• hypha(pl.hyphae) – microscopic, tubular filamentous units of a fungus
• incurved –of cap margin, turned under towards stem
• indusium – in some stinkhorns, net-like veil which hangs down like a skirt
• ink cap – common name of the Coprinus genus– the caps turn to an inky mess when picked and before you can dry them!
• inrolled – of cap margin, turned under towards stem
• inturned – of cap margin, slightly incurved
• lamella (pl. lamellae) – see gill
• lateral – of stems, attached at side of cap
• lobed – with rounded projections
• look-alikes – species that look superficially similar to the species being described
• luminescent – glowing in the dark
• margin – typically of cap or fills, outer edge
• membranous – typically of ring, like a membrane or skin
• mesoperidium – typically of stalked puffballs, the middle layer of a three-layered peridium
• milk– a liquid exuded from certain species such as Lactarius deliciosus
• mouth – opening through which spores are discharged
• mushroom – fungus with fills on the underside of the cap, usually withy a stem; generally refers to an agaric
• mycelial disc – disc-like structure found at base of stem, consisting of a compact mass of mycelium
• mycelium– vegetative part of the fungus which grows in the host or soil and produces the fruit body; the mycelium is like a mass of often microscopic fibres
• mycorrhiza – the association between the mycelium of a fungus and the rootlets of plants. Little is known of the associations between fungi and plants in Australia; hence, the important questions on habitat and nearest tree/plant in the mapping scheme
• odour – smell of the fruit-body
• partial veil – covering of the gills while very young that breaks open, often leaving remnants on the stem (stipe)
• pileus – cap
• species – group of individuals with certain common characteristics
• spore print –  spore material left on paper when the cap is left for a period of time — the colour can be an important identifying characteristic
• spore – microscopic part of the fungus, which can germinate to reproduce the fungus
• stipe – stalk or stem of the fruiting body of the fungus
• universal veil – material, which completely covers the young immature mushroom
• volva – the remnant of the universal veil which is sometimes left at the base of the stipe
• –merous – suffix meaning part (e. g. trimerous means in three parts)
• Free mushroom – mushrooms with gills entirely unattached to the stem

Other mushroom terms

• Agaric -  a saprophytic fungus of the order Agaricales having an umbrellalike cap with gills on the underside; fungus used in the preparation of punk for fuses

• Agaricales -  typical gilled mushrooms belonging to the subdivision Basidiomycota

• Basidiolichen -  a lichen in which the fungus component is a basidiomycete

• Bolete -  any fungus of the family Boletaceae

• Bracket fungus -  a woody fungus that forms shelflike sporophores on tree trunks and wood structures

• Calvatia -  genus of puffballs having outer casings whose upper parts break at maturity into angular pieces to expose the spores

• Calvatia gigantea -  huge edible puffball up to 2 feet diameter and 25 pounds in weight

• Cantharellus -  a well-known genus of fungus; has funnel-shaped fruiting body; includes the chanterelles

• Chanterelle -  widely distributed edible mushroom rich yellow in color with a smooth cap and a pleasant apricot aroma

• fungus -  a parasitic plant lacking chlorophyll and leaves and true stems and roots and reproducing by spores

• Jelly fungus -  any fungus of the order Tremellales or Auriculariales whose fruiting body is jellylike in consistency when fresh

• Lycoperdon -  genus of fungi whose fruiting body tapers toward a base consisting of spongy mycelium

• Mushroom -  fleshy body of any of numerous edible fungi; a large cloud of rubble and dust shaped like a mushroom and rising into the sky after an explosion (especially of a nuclear bomb); any of various fleshy fungi of the subdivision Basidiomycota consisting of a cap at the end of a stem arising from an underground mycelium; common name for an edible agaric (contrasting with the inedible toadstool); verb grow and spread fast; pick or gather mushrooms

• Pezizaceae -  large family comprising many typical cup fungi

• Phallaceae -  a family of fungi belonging to the order Phallales and comprising the true stinkhorns

• Polypore -  woody pore fungi; any fungus of the family Polyporaceae or family Boletaceae having the spore-bearing surface within tubes or pores; the fruiting bodies are usually woody at maturity and persistent

• Puffball -  any of various fungi of the family Lycoperdaceae whose round fruiting body discharges a cloud of spores when mature; any of various fungi of the genus Scleroderma having hard-skinned subterranean fruiting bodies resembling truffles

• Scleroderma -  genus of poisonous fungi having hard-skinned fruiting bodies: false truffles; an autoimmune disease that affects the blood vessels and connective tissue; fibrous connective tissue is deposited in the skin

• Scleroderma citrinum -  an earthball fungus that is a dingy brownish yellow and a dark purplish interior; the peridium is covered with a pattern of small warts

• Sclerodermataceae -  a family of fungi or order Sclerodermatales with a single-layered peridium; includes earthballs

• Stinkhorn -  any of various ill-smelling brown-capped fungi of the order Phallales

• Truffle -  creamy chocolate candy; edible subterranean fungus of the genus Tuber; any of various highly prized edible subterranean fungi of the genus Tuber; grow naturally in southwestern Europe

• Truncocolumella -  a genus of fungi belonging to the family Rhizopogonaceae

• Tuberaceae -  family of fungi whose ascocarps resemble tubers and vary in size from that of an acorn to that of a large apple

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